Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! We switched back to blues this week. Gotta wash the green stuff again! Haha! I am looking forward to busting out the fun boots and entertaining outfits in May! Just a few more weeks! In the meantime, let's look at the blue outfit from this week!

Surprise! It's light blue not navy! Hahaha, so different! I didn't take a close up, but yes, those are the Ukraine fundraiser socks from Dreamers and Schemers. They're really pretty, and I like supporting a cause like that, even if it's in a small way.

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS

Yep, still this helmet. A few more weeks of it, and eventually something different, I promise!

Hoodie: The Atlantis Gift Shop

This was my vacation souvenir from our trip after Christmas. It's the softest thing I own! Love it!

Belt: Brighton

I wore this just a few weeks ago, so you may remember it pretty clearly. I found it second hand on ebay to match my De Niro boots, and it's a pretty perfect match!

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

My camera did not want to pick up the correct color on these, but the belt photo above is probably the most accurate. They're a pretty almost heathered light blue. I really like them!

Boots: De Niro

Yep, still using this photo. The boots still look the same!

This week Eros is our model! Here's what he's wearing:

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Browband: Dark Jewel Designs

Um... also, I forgot to take photos this week of my horse... so these are all recycled photos from previous outfit days. Sorry. I'm the worst.

Saddle: Butet

Baby Pad: Smartpak with embellishment by me

Half Pad: Ippico

Heh... I haven't shared this pad in awhile! This isn't even the same Butet we use now... Boy. I'm the worst. I still have this saddle though. Planning to trade it in toward Al's new saddle. If the fitter ever gets back to me...

Boots: Premier Equine

I wish Premier Equine made more stuff in green. I love these boots, and would absolutely buy them again in green if they'd make them!

And that's it for today! Hopefully I will suck less next week, and will have nice new photos to share. No promises though... 

What's Up Wednesday

 

I'm so late getting this out today, because I have been having all kinds of fun lately! I've finally reintroduced myself to the outside world. First was on Monday, with an amazing five course dinner that was a whiskey pairing. 

Insane. Five amazing cocktails paired with five plates of decadent food. I'm still full several days later... And tonight I went to see Dear Evan Hansen. 

The show was amazing, highly recommend! Now I'll just spend the next two weeks convinced I've caught the plague... Lol. I am who I am, what can I say? Masks were required at the show, and the dinner was a fairly small group. Likely all will be fine. 

Things are going mostly well on the horsey front. Shiny seems to be recovering well from her incident. She's walking soundly, and is able to go outside now that I've gotten her a boot to wear over her bandage. She'll get one more shot of antibiotics tomorrow, and then hopefully we just have to wait a little longer for the hole to close up before returning to regular life. 

Pammon has been good too, but lately he's been throwing in a little spook at least once per ride. I have no idea what he's spooking at. It's never in the same spot. I swear, I think he does it just to liven things up a bit. Trotting round and round isn't all that exciting on its own.

Eros is doing great also! He's been getting a little fresh with the temps having dipped again, so I finally allowed him a little free time in the indoor. He doesn't need it often, but every once in awhile, he really benefits from a chance to gallop around. He's not at all interested in letting it out when he's outside on regular turnout. He only likes to do it in the ring. Weirdo. Anyway, he got to run around today before our ride, and he had a great time. It makes me nervous because he'll just go round and round and round quite rapidly... But once he's done, he'll trot a cool down lap then walk right to me. He also warms himself up with a trot around before cantering. He's smart about self care. We lesson tomorrow, so hopefully he'll be nice and relaxed. 

And lastly is Al. He's such a joy, even when he's actually acting his age. It's easy to forget he's just a kid since most of the time he's pretty perfect. But every now and then (like when the temps drop from 70 to 30...) he acts like the six year old he is. He hates the end of the indoor as a general rule, and the past week, the course in the ring included a 5 stride line right down center line. So you can imagine what it was like jumping that toward the end of the ring. It was... tricky. He is super honest at the jumps, so that was never an issue. But it was the landing side that was TOUGH. He did NOT want to get all the way to the end. There was much sideways. But we stayed attached to each other, and got the courses done, so I'm still calling it a successful week. 

We were mostly stuck indoors last week between rain and cold temps. And so far the same this week. But things should warm up again for the weekend, so fingers crossed we can get back outside again. 

That's about it from here! How are things with all of you?

Truthful Tuesday

 

Ugh. You guys. THIS WEATHER. It's miserable. Two weeks ago we were riding outside! Last week were about half and half in vs out. Which is probably how this week will go too. But right now? It's late morning and this is what we have:

I'm not enjoying it. I'm dragging my feet heading out to ride because I don't wanna go out in that! WAAHHHHHH!

So that's today's confession. I'm whining. A LOT. About the stupid cold weather.

Has winter returned where you are too? 

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! It's a pretty similar outfit to last week... but this week Al is our model! So we'll start with what he wore.

Bridle: Pinnacle
Browband: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

I had ordered Al the Joseph Sterling version of this bridle, but it was backordered for many months, so I grabbed this Pinnacle version for him in the meantime. It's actually pretty nice, but you can absolutely tell the difference in the leather quality. It's nice enough for everyday though. And yes, I forgot to take a photo of him in it when we rode, so I went and threw it on him in his stall for a picture... I'm the worst!

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Personalized Products
Half Pad: Mattes

This was post ride, so the pad had shifted a bit. (These things happen when your saddle doesn't fit...) This pad is the same as the one Eros' wore last week, except that the other one has a green piping and this one has tan. I had this one made for Cosmo, who we lovingly called Moo-moo hence the monogram on there. This pad is slightly younger. I think I got it around 2000 or 2001.

Boots: Eskadron Heritage

As you can see, Al actually makes use of that strike pad on his boots... He's kind of careless with where he puts his feet sometimes. Like when he's getting tired and I'm insisting on forward. He's like a toddler stamping his feet. Kid kills me! 

So that's what he wore, and here's what I had on:

Repping the Alma Mater this week!

Helmet: One K

You all know by now that I'm not bringing more helmets out to the barn. Though perhaps I should at least clean this one up a little...

Hoodie: Skidmore College

I bought this hoodie at my 15th college reunion (yep, I'm super old) which was ((gulp)) five years ago already. It's a great hoodie, and I think has a few more years left in it. Skidmore's mascot is the Thoroughbred, so the right sleeve actually says Thoroughbreds down it. Nice touch!

Belt: Rebecca Ray

I have this belt in a few colors, and it's definitely one of my faves! I wear it all the time. 

Breeches: Dover Wellesley

I think these are super cute. The color didn't photograph super accurately. They're a nice chocolate brown color. But the fun part is the leopard piping on the top edge of the pants and on the pockets. It's just enough to be super fun. The sock boots are also leopard, but you can't see them with socks on. 

Boots: De Niro Salentino

Yeah, I recycled last week's photo, but they're still the same boots, so it's a pretty accurate representation! As comfortable as these boots are, I'm not all that impressed with their durability. They're already starting to wear and I haven't had them terribly long. On the other hand, I got these on clearance from Equiport for very little money, so I am getting my money's worth. Can't really complain!

And that's it for this week! Any favorites? Do you have any saddle pads that are 20 or more years old still in rotation? 

What's Up Wednesday

 

What a week! Sheesh... Last week we enjoyed fake spring, and it was GLORIOUS! Eros and Shiny rode outside nearly every day and Al even went out a few times too! The ring at the boarding barn is ENORMOUS, so I do worry some the first few times out there about potentially dying. Or you know, getting run away with. Fortunately, none of them offered up such nonsense, and it was SO AMAZING to be outside again! Pammon got to walk outside a little, but for now we're still trotting indoors. 

Alas, this week it's been cold again. Highs only in the 40's and Tuesday the wind was absolutely insane. So for the most part, we're back inside this week. I did take Eros out today when the sun peaked out for a bit though. Tomorrow is supposed to be a total rainy washout and then more cold weather through the weekend. Hopefully spring comes back again soon!

Eros was a superstar in his lesson last week! The course that was set was mostly single jumps, which honestly is better for Eros. He just gets ridiculously excited about related distances. I'm not sure why really... He won't say. Anyway, the single fences were great for him, and we were able to string a whole bunch of them together without him dragging me around. Baby steps! We'll see what tomorrow brings. I have a feeling with the weather Torpedo Eros might make an appearance. But maybe not! You just never know with him. 

The most awkward Al photo to ever have been snapped...
Why does he look so little?

Al was AMAZING this week in our lessons! For both, we did the flat part outside, then went in to jump. (No jumps in the outdoor just yet, but probably soon!) I think warming up outside was really helpful in getting us more forward thinking. Because when we came in to jump, he was right there for me. I didn't feel as much like I needed a nap mid course as I usually do. I'm still pinching myself that this is my horse. He's just exactly what I would pick if I could punch my wants into a computer program and print out a horse. I mean, I might have made him a LITTLE less spooky, but hey. You can't have everything. 

In other Al news, I finally contacted the Butet rep to see about finding him a better fitting saddle. She requested a bunch of photos of two of my current ones on him and now we're trying to figure out a time and day for her to come out. 

Eros' saddle. Not great.

Pammon's Saddle. Better in some places
but too narrow.

The tricky part is that the boarding barn is a CWD barn. The owner said I could have the Butet rep out, but on a Monday when the other clients won't be there. Of course, this rep doesn't work on Monday... so I'm not sure how this is going to work out any time very soon. Might have to wait until I have some horses home, and then bring him here for the appointment. But I'd really like to have a saddle sooner than later. Nothing is ever easy! I would expect a saddle rep to have a somewhat flexible schedule, but who knows. Maybe this is just a side gig for her. 

Shiny had a great riding week. She's still protesting picking up the canter the first time. And by protesting I mean first refusing to do it, then kicking out, and then finally sighing heavily and just doing it. Once she gets going, her canter feels amazing. So I'm not entirely sure what the dramatics are about. I did let her have a relaxed bareback meander outside on Sunday, hoping that might reset the grumpy pony for next week. Unfortunately, she decided she wanted a longer reset as you read about yesterday. Her foot is doing as well as can be expected. She's on a broad spectrum antibiotic for now and we're flushing and re-bandaging daily. Once she seems more comfortable we can hand walk and even turn out (with a boot on the affected foot, so waiting for that to arrive). She's been a very good patient though, so hopefully this time it will resolve a little more quickly than the last time. 

Pammon was supposed to start rigging this week, but selfishly I decided to wait. I'm down a pony to ride so I don't want to give up another! Even though it will just be once a week for now. I'm also a little nervous about him being on a lunge circle still... I may hold off until his next recheck. We've upped our trotting to 12 minutes this week though! So things are getting pretty serious. When we get to 15, he'll have a recheck and see what the next step will be. 

Last week when the weather was so incredible, I made sure to get the pups out in the yard for a wander around. 

Rita isn't the biggest fan of being on a leash, but she's getting better. Her recall is pretty good MOST of the time, but she's already been hit by a car (before she was mine!) so I'm just really nervous about letting her off leash. My property isn't fully fenced for doggos, so I worry. I'm so glad the rope harness I had gotten for Artie adjusts enough to fit her though! She's so tiny!

I didn't hang on to P the whole time because she doesn't get around so fast anyway. I could surely catch her before she got herself into trouble! Plus, she can't walk as much as Rita. We still managed to over do it out there, and she needed her overnight pain meds a little earlier in the evening. Noted. Will definitely not let her walk as much next time! It's tough with these old pups. They don't realize how much they can and can't do. On the positive side (for me anyway) she slept the WHOLE night that night! I got 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep! It was glorious. 

That's about it from here. How was your week? Is spring really happening where you are? 

Truthful Tuesday

 

Hey guys! This is Shiny. Mom said I had to write today's post because I did a mistake for the second time... She said I had to confess about how I did not learn my lesson the first time. Lessons are hard! And feelings are hard to not share, ya know? I can't help it. I'm just a pony!

You maybe remember a couple of years ago, right before the plague happened, I kicked the wall super hard because I was SO MAD at my neighbor. And a piece of the stall got stuck in my foot? And mom thought it was so crazy but also would probably never happen again? Um. Well. I think Brittney Spears said it best. "Oops! I did it again..."

So Sunday, my friend Barb who lives next me was outside having play time. And some little kid put a LESSON HORSE next to me. Ew. Can you believe it? He's all old and like everyone loves him. So annoying. I couldn't handle it. And then they gave me hay, and I was so mad because the other horse saw. I don't like other horses seeing my food. It's very uncomfortable, and like SHINY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD! So stop staring! 

Now... I'm not saying that's when it happened. Because mom thought I looked normal when she left that afternoon and my friend Barb was back in her stall then. So it's possible I did it later. But I don't usually kick at Barb cause she's my friend. So mom's not really sure when I did it. I'm not saying either. Not everyone needs to know everything about me all the time.

Anyway, mom always taught me to try my hardest no matter what. So I figured if I'm going to do something again, I should do it even better! And so I did! Check out the size of the wall chunk I got stuck in my foot this time!

WAY bigger than last time. I'm so tough! Mom found out Monday morning that something was wrong, but the barn worker who found me with my ouchie foot wasn't sure what was wrong. Mom knew though. Moms always know... So she came out and picked my foot and found this:

The part that looks like shavings next to my frog is the top part of that wood chunk. It was in there SO TIGHT that mom wasn't so sure she should pull it out. Doc thought the same when he saw this photo and said to wait for him to come and leave it in my foot! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I had to keep it in my foot! But I was so brave, and it was okay. Mom said a bad word when doc pulled it out though because it was SO BIG! 

It hurt a lot yesterday, but I got some shots with Banamine and antibiotics. So today it feels better. I'm not allowed to have outside play time for a few days though, and I have to keep it wrapped up. Doc said it might still abscess, but I hope not cause those hurt too. Doc checked it today and thought it looked so good, so mom's gonna check my temp everyday and put a new wrap on it and take me for walks in the soft indoor. Then on Friday doc will visit again and maybe then I can play outside again. But I am excited because mom can't ride me for awhile. She said there are kinder ways to ask for a vacation, but this way seems to be very effective. 

So as mom says, that's my confession today! Have any of your horses ever done this? Do you want me to show them how? I'm SO GOOD AT IT!

Thursday's Threads

 

Outfit Day! Thank goodness we're wearing green these days so I can pretend like this is a St Patrick's day outfit. It isn't... but we'll pretend it is.
Here's what I wore:

Yes! It was warm enough for a light sweater. Loving this spring like weather so much!

Helmet: One K CCS MIPS

Yep, I'm still wearing this one. I might need to invest in the new green helmet that Horze is releasing though... It's not MIPS, so I'm not sold yet. But it's so pretty! (An aside: wouldn't it be nice if all helmets moving forward had MIPS technology?)

Top: Alessandro Albanese

I can't remember exactly when or wear I got this top. I do know it was on super final sale closeout so it was very inexpensive. I like a nice tan top to pair with green breeches.

Belt: Christian Dior

I found this vintage Dior belt on Ebay a few years ago, and it's definitely one of my favorite belts. It's super soft, and the leather is so nice that despite its age, there is no cracking at all. You can see a little wear mark on another hole, but it's not cracked, just a little dent.

Breeches: RJ Classic

For the longest time I thought I didn't like how RJ breeches fit. But it turns out, I was just wearing entirely the wrong size. Now that I have the correct size, I like them very much!

Boots: De Niro

It happened! I have non winter boots on! Granted they're the navy Salentinos and not something super fun and exciting because I had these at the barn already. But still! Regular boots! YAY!

Okay, that's what I wore. This week Eros is our equine model. Here's what he wore:

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

Browband: Dark Jewel Designs

Eros wasn't feeling that excited about photos this week. And also it looks like he'd already rubbed his face all over me since the cheek part of the noseband is all disheveled.... What can I say. An influencer with perfect photos is not who I am! Lol! Regardless, he's adorable, and I love this bridle on him. 

Saddle: Butet
Saddle Pad: Equine Outfitters (formerly Personalized Products)

Half Pad: Mattes

This pad is REALLY old. Like I got it way back in my junior hunter days. Probably 1996 ish.... It says Bud because it was Bud's pad. It's THAT old. And I still love it immensely. It has faux sheepskin lining the entire other side. I kind of want to see if they'll make me more of these, maybe in solid green. They're perfect for winter when the horses want to get rubs everywhere. I have one other one that was Cosmo's and Al is wearing that one this week. 

Boots: Eskadron

They look just as fab on Eros as they did on Shiny last week! Everyone got a pair of these, so they are all sporting them this week and looking amazing. I'm just excited that I finally found a pair of dark green boots in everyone's size. I like the Punk Ponies hunter green a lot, but this color here is my FAVORITE. 

And that's it for today! Any favorites?

What's Up Wednesday

 

Spring is making an actual effort to show up this week! While it stupidly snowed over the weekend, yesterday and today temps were in the 60's and we have started riding outdoors! YAY!!! I chickened out on riding Al outside yesterday, but he had a training ride out there today and was pretty good. He's definitely not sure about the giant sprinkler heads, but otherwise wasn't too concerned about the great outdoors. I think it's going to rain tomorrow, but hopefully I'll be brave and ride him out another day soon. Eros did the second half of his ride out yesterday, and the full ride out today, and he was absolutely perfect. Shiny had two full rides out this week, and she was definitely happy to be out. I think this is the first time in my life that I've had horses that don't make a big scene about the move back outside. It's pretty refreshing! That said... I have not taken Pammon out there yet. Lol. Hey, my brave bank is only so full.

Prior to this amazing weather, things have been going just fine with the tall kids. Al's been a super hero in our lessons. He EXHAUSTS me fully, but not in a bad way. Eros was especially good in his lesson last week too. We were able to string a few fences together without him getting strong. Of course, soon we'll be lessoning outside and we'll probably need to start over again... but I'll enjoy the good while I have it. Shiny feels SO much better since her injections. We're still having a struggle about the first few canters, but once she's going she feels incredible. So I'm not entirely sure what the drama is about. Perhaps that's just who she is as a pony? Pammon is starting week two of ten minutes trotting, and he's feeling stronger already. Next week he'll start rigging one day a week and we'll see how that goes. I've never used one, so for now, I'll pay for the trainers to do it. I'll learn before he comes home if I decide to bring him home this summer. 

Not too much else to report on this week. The nice weather has me feeling excited for spring and horses at home! So I'm feeling motivated to get things ready here. How are things with all of you? Weather treating you better?

Truthful Tuesday

 

So I've been building a fun brown/rose gold riding outfit for a few months now, and it's nearly ready. But I needed a belt, so I decided to make one after not finding what I envisioned readily available. I couldn't find the rivets I wanted anywhere but a Chinese seller on Etsy, so it took awhile for them to arrive. But they got here and I excitedly got to work on it yesterday. But here's my confession guys... I underestimated how many I would need. So I got about halfway done, and now I have to wait another month for more to arrive. And this my friends is why you measure twice and order once.